This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And today I explore the catalog of the Aladdin label for a part of 1949 and 1950, in their 3000 series. These days the labels wore the imprint Jazz Series, and indeed a lot of it is Rhythm & Blues on the jazzy side, but then, Rhythm & Blues isn't defined that exactly and it's a thin line between what people usually call jazz, or blues or whatever mixes in between of them.
I did more shows on this leading label from Los Angeles, and today I start where I left you last time - well that must have been some ten months before. The first one for today is number 3028 on the Aladdin catalog. Here is Lightnin' Hopkins with his best guitar work. Listen to Woman Woman.
00 - 3028 - Lightnin' Hopkins - Woman, Woman
00 - 3029 - Lonnie Johnson - Don't Blame Her
Lonnie Johnson with Don't Blame Her and with that he was as a middle aged man in the aftermath of his career. Johnson is best known for his pre-war blues and especially the time he recorded together with Victoria Spivey for the OKeh label in the late twenties. His postwar comeback included a seven-week number one hit in 1948 for the King label, Tomorrow Night, that sold three million copies - one of the peaks in his rollercoaster career. In the fifties Johnson dropped out of sight of the public and - like several times before - he had to rely on jobs as a janitor. The blues revival of the sixties brought him back, once again, with several albums, and for the last years of his life he lived in Toronto where he died in 1970 after he never really recovered from being hit by a car.
Next is a recording of Charles Brown with his typical mellow style. Here he is with In The Evening The Sun Goes Down.
00 - 3030 - Charles Brown - In The Evening The Sun Goes Down
00 - 3031 - The Robins - Come Back Baby
(jingle)
00 - 3032 - Amos Milburn - Empty Arms Blues
00 - 3033 - Sonny Parker - Pretty Baby
Four in a row - after Charles Brown you got the Robins with Come Back Baby recorded in May of 1949. The Robins were one of the steadies of Johnny Otis' Barrelhouse club and after their one session with Aladdin they moved to the Savoy label, together with all of the artists under the guidance of Johnny Otis.
Then after the jingle came Amos Milburn, one of Aladdins longest staying artists with the Empty Arm Blues. Milburn had had a major hit the year before with the Chicken Shack Boogie and that earned his group the name of the Aladdin Chicken Shackers.
Then the last one that I played was Pretty Baby of drummer and singer Sonny Parker, best known for his long-time stint with Lionel Hampton. The sides he did under his own name include several members of Hampton's orchestra.
Next a blues singer who on stage dressed as a country girl complete with head scarf and a basket, and she'd drawn the attention of nineteen year old Ahmet Ertegün, back in 1943, and he recorded her but by then never had the opportunity to publish the records. Ertegün always said this encounter made him decide to start a record company, which he did later, and then we're talking about the Atlantic label of course. Unfortunately, despite a lot of searching, he never found her back while she played the clubs in Chicago and recorded for a few local labels.
Now she never got the recognition that Ertegün had in mind but she's said to have been a major influence on Atlantic stars such as Ruth Brown and Lavern Baker - I guess they got Ertegün's little collection on her recordings to hear.
In '49 she was in Los Angeles for a short while and there she recorded for Roy Milton's Miltone label and one session for Aladdin. Now that singer dressed as a country girl was named Mildred Cummings and she went by the stage name of Little Miss Cornshucks. Here she is with Keep Your Hand On Your Heart.
00 - 3034 - Little Miss Cornshucks - Keep Your Hand On Your Heart
00 - 3035 - Lightnin' Hopkins - Morning Blues
Morning Blues - number 3035 of Aladdin's catalog that I feature today here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and that of course was Lightnin' Hopkins. Hopkins was a Texas Bluesman and while singing in Houston's Third Ward he was scouted by Lola Ann Cullum - she worked for the Aladdin label and in 1946 he was brought to the studio where he was paired with Wilson Smith. It was at Aladdin records where Wilson was dubbed Thunder and Hopkins got the name of Lightnin'. The name stuck for the rest of his life.
This Morning Blues was recorded in February of 1948 in an illicit session - that year was the recording strike of the American Federation of Musicians. We're talking fall of '49 now as it was released and by then Hopkins had moved back to Texas where he recorded for the local Gold Star label.
There are several double-siders in this set of Aladdin releases from the fall of 1949 - and with double-siders I mean that the recording was too long for one side of a 78, so it continues on the back. Aladdin 3036 is a duet between Joe Turner and Wynonie Harris. Two blues shouters and a noisy band to back them - that's a whole lotta firework and here it goes - nearly six minutes of The Battle of the Blues.
00 - 3036 - Wynonie Harris - Battle Of The Blues
00 - 3038 - Amos Milburn - Drifting Blues
Straigth from a 78 the Drifting Blues of Amos Milburn, and on this one he shows off he fits well for a soundalike of Charles Brown. In Los Angeles this style was particularly popular, initiated by Nat 'King' Cole. Where most of them keep it with the piano alone or a trio like Cole's, on this one a saxophone adds the the gloomy atmosphere of this blues.
And speaking of Charles Brown, here he is with the Homesick Blues.
00 - 3039 - Charles Brown - Homesick Blues
00 - 3040 - Saunders King - Stormy Night Blues
The Stormy Night Blues of Saunders King - the second single from a session he done with Aladdin - his earlier material was done on the San Francisco-based Rhythm label. King was based in Oakland, CA and by then, it had a large population of African-Americans working in the shipyards and the automobile industry - both General Motors and Chrysler had plants in the city. It had attracted both Blacks and Whites from the deep South and Mexican-Americans from the border states - a hotbed for racial tensions, but also for the blues that were played in the many clubs in town.
Next another double-sider, a session led by Jimmy Mundy. Now this saxophonist is better remembered for his work with Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa and the arrangements he wrote for many bands. Here he is with I Gotta Put You Down and vocals are done by Jimmy Young.
00 - 3041 - Jimmy Mundy - I Gotta Put You Down
(jingle)
00 - 3042 - Lil Green - Running Around In Circles
00 - 3043 - Amos Milburn - Tell Me How Long Has The Train Been Gone
Tell Me How Long Has The Train Been Gone of Amos Milburn on Aladdin number 3043 and with that comes an end to this episode of the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman, where I spotlighted the Aladdin label and played some releases from the end of 1949.
Before Amos Milburn you got Lil Green, one of the most underrated female blues singers ever, with Running Around In Circles. One of the causes of her being mainly forgotten, is that she died too early to see the blues revival of the sixties. Aged only 34, she died of pneumonia in Chicago. The only song she's remembered for, Why Don't You Do Right, became a female blues classic only because Peggy Lee made it to a big hit together with Benny Goodman.
I told you at the beginning of the hour, it's been some ten months ago that I did my previous special on Aladdin's catalog, and for sure there's gonna be another one but I can't tell you when. Aladdin brought a lot of great Rhythm & Blues and I hope you liked it as much as I do. Well there's always the chance to let me know and send me an e-mail. Rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com is the addres. And today's playlist and story are on my web site and also you can take a sneak peek on what's on the menu for next week. Easiest way to get there is to search the web for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. Once in, look for show number 167.
For now, time's up. There will be a new show next week. So until then, have a rocking week and I hope to see you next time here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!